Accountants work free to boost business

SEVENTY accountants’ firms in South Yorkshire are offering an hour of free advice worth more than £100 to help kickstart the economy.

The no strings offer, from ICAEW Chartered Accountants, is open to small businesses.

Mark Protherough, ICAEW’s executive director, said: “Start-ups or growing small businesses can always benefit from professional support, but in the current harsh economic climate, good advice is even more vital to help SMEs become the engines of growth so desperately needed.

“The Business Advice Service will offer SMEs the opportunity to discuss their business with a qualified chartered accountant through a free initial consultation. ICAEW Chartered Accountants will be able to offer expert advice on a whole range of issues – from starting a business to turnaround, restructuring, financial management or taxation issues.”

James Newman, chairman of the Sheffield Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We know from experience that applications which have a business adviser involved are much stronger and have an almost 300 per cent increase in their rate of success.”

More than 2,000 ICAEW practices nationally and about 70 firms in South Yorkshire have signed up.